


Nitrogen.

by MadgieMomo



Series: Elements of the Air. [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Chronological, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 01:19:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3709549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadgieMomo/pseuds/MadgieMomo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiichirou is on death row for a murder he felt was rightfully committed. At first he has no regrets, but an unexpected connection with one of the prison's guards makes the thought of dying a lot more difficult to stomach.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nitrogen.

_Nitrogen is a common and plentiful element. It makes up more than seventy eight percent of the earth's atmosphere. It is unusable in its elemental form. However, Nitrogen is essential to life on Earth._

 

* * *

 

Of course, he had tried to plead ‘not guilty’. He had tried to write it off as self-defence. But in the end, everyone knew that was not the case.

It was a mere week after his trial, and Aiichirou Nitori remained mostly quiet for the time that he’d spent in this prison. There was no reason to be anything but that. He had killed a man, and he would die for it. It was simple. An eye for an eye. But despite this, Aiichirou felt in his core that he did not deserve to die. If only the people in that courtroom had seen what the man had done… perhaps then they would have understood.

The young man rose from his bunk and paced about in his tiny cell. He tried desperately to shake the thought from his mind. It was too late now for “What Ifs”. He needed to focus as much as his energy as possible on one thing, and one thing alone.

Preparing to die.

The sound of the door opening at the end of the corridor caught his attention, and Aiichirou turned to look at the source of the noise. It was probably just that Yamazaki guard coming to check on them. Though, Nitori had to admit, however grudgingly, that despite his seemingly cold demeanour, the guard made for some decent company. Better than any of his fellow inmates, anyway.

His eyes widened slightly when a new face emerged through the door. It was a guard, all right, but one he’d not before seen. He wore the uniform well, very well, though Aiichirou silently cursed himself for making note of that, a slight reddish tinge showing on his porcelain cheeks. His good looks were undeniable, but there was something about that garnet-haired guard that reminded Aiichirou of someone else…

“Welcome back, Rin! Sister still in the looney bin?”

The voice of one of the other prisoners broke the silence, and the cold clang of a baton against iron bars echoed off the bare concrete walls.

“Shut up! Another word out of you and you’ll be in solitary for a month. And that’s ‘Sir’ to you.”

“Like it matters. We’re all dead men here, anyway.”

Ignoring that last comment, the guard—whose name was apparently Rin—turned his gaze to Nitori’s cell, a puzzled expression crossing his features.

“You don’t look like the usual types we get in here. Are you sure you’re in the right place?”

“Why do you say that, Sir? You don’t believe I could murder someone?”

Rin hesitated for only a moment. “No. Humans are born with the capacity to kill. You just don’t look like the kind of person to go through with it.”

Aiichirou’s fists clenched. “Well I had my reasons, Sir.”

Deep, maroon eyes seemed to pierce Aiichirou’s soul. He felt his heart rate increase, ever so slightly.

“What’s your name?”

“Aiichirou Nitori, Sir.”

“My name’s Matsuoka. Just let me know if you need anything.”

With that, the guard retreated the way he came, and suddenly Nitori’s heart had dropped into his stomach.

_Matsuoka…_

Tears pricked at the corners of Nitori’s eyes, and his fingernails pressed so hard into his palms that they were in danger of drawing blood.

So that’s why he looked so familiar.

 

* * *

 

The restaurant was called “Mackerel”. It was owned and operated by head chef, Haruka Nanase. Aiichirou had worked in the kitchen there for nearly three years, starting in his first year of high school. Back when the purpose of having a part-time job was simply for a little extra spending money. After a year on the job, his classmate, Gou Matsuoka was hired as a hostess. Though they’d never spoken much at school, working together made them thick as thieves. They often took their breaks at the same time, and walked home together after shifts. Aiichirou easily considered Gou his best friend.

One of Gou’s favourite things to talk about was her older brother. She spoke of him like he was the most amazing person to ever walk the earth.

“You said your brother is out of school, right? What does he do for a living?” Aiichirou had asked during one of their first breaks together.

“He’s a state prison guard,” she replied with all the admiration in the world. Aiichirou was a little surprised. He didn’t think that a girl like Gou would find being a prison guard very endearing. But from the sound of it, her brother had been her lifeline as a child. It was no wonder she idolized him.

“Our mother was often away on business trips, so Rin spent most of his time raising me. It’s sad, because he never really got the chance to be a kid.”

“What about your dad?”

Gou had smiled sadly and replied, “He died a long time ago.”

Aiichirou truly admired Gou. Despite the hardships she’d faced as a child, she always found it within herself to smile. She never stopped trying, no matter how difficult things became. Gou never let the terrible things that happened to her tear her down.

Aiichirou on the other hand, thought himself to be quite the opposite. He may have been an only child, but his parents had always been there for him. During elementary and middle school, he had been shy and quiet. It didn’t take him long to realize that branching out would only get him picked on.

In a lot of ways, Aiichirou’s job at the restaurant had saved him. His coworkers became his only friends, and despite the fact that he was still often alone at school, he at least now felt that he belonged somewhere. It was a new feeling. One that had filled him with warmth.

 

That warmth seemed so far away now, as he sat in his lonely cell.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This idea started out because I always loved the idea of Ai and Gou being besties. Unfortunately it ended up a lot darker than originally planned. It's somewhat in correlation with the Future Fish AU. The characters' ages do not coincide with canon.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked it! I'm trying to set up a good platform without giving too much away. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! X


End file.
